Macroeconomic data, trends, and policy developments.
Coverage of key economic indicators, central bank policy decisions, inflation trends, labor data, and growth signals. This category focuses on the macroeconomic forces that shape markets, interest rates, and long-term capital allocation.
5,098 total articles
China left its benchmark loan prime rates unchanged for a ninth consecutive month, keeping the one-year LPR at 3.00% and the five-year LPR at 3.50%. Authorities have signalled a preference for targeted policy measures and structural-tool adjustments - including a 25 basis-point cut last month - to shore up domestic demand amid an export-driven 2025…
A Reuters poll of economists forecasts the Bank of Korea will leave its policy rate at 2.50% at its February meeting and keep it unchanged through 2026. The unanimous view reflects concerns over currency weakness, rising housing prices and financial stability risks, even as consumer inflation sits at the central bank’s 2.0% target.
The White House is considering imposing a fresh set of national security tariffs across about six industrial categories following a Supreme Court decision that struck down much of earlier tariff authority. The proposed duties would be issued under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 and are planned to be separate from recently announced …
USD1, a stablecoin tied to the Trump family-backed World Liberty Financial, slipped to roughly $0.994 on Monday before regaining value and trading near $0.9994. World Liberty said its teams repelled a coordinated attack and that no smart contracts or wallets supporting USD1 or WLFI were hacked, though some co-founders' X accounts were accessed with…
U.S. equities tumbled on renewed tariff uncertainty after a U.S. court decision and an immediate presidential response introducing a temporary 15% global levy. Concurrent concerns about stress in the software and private credit sectors amplified risk aversion, sending money into Treasuries, gold and safe-haven currencies while oil rose to six-month…
A senior Reserve Bank of Australia official said the central bank is analysing underlying inflation measures built from new monthly consumer price data to determine whether a monthly-based gauge might eventually replace the quarterly measure it currently favours. The RBA will continue to prioritise the quarterly trimmed mean for now, and any change…
Rating firm Morningstar DBRS reports a deterioration in private credit quality, with downgrades reaching 3.3 times upgrades in February and defaults rising to 4%. The agency cites margin compression across sectors and rising debt levels as reasons for a negative outlook for 2026, while noting limited current impact from AI disruption on rated softw…
Senior Pentagon officials have cautioned President Trump that plans for military operations against Iran carry significant risks. Military leaders, including Gen. Dan Caine, told officials that options ranging from limited strikes to multi-day aerial campaigns could result in U.S. and allied casualties, heavy use of scarce air-defense munitions, an…
The average U.S. 30-year fixed mortgage rate retreated to 5.99% on Monday, the lowest level since 2022, as investors moved into bonds following a stock market sell-off. Cooling inflation, tariff uncertainty and signs of economic weakness in recent GDP data contributed to the decline in yields. Refinancing activity has risen sharply year-over-year a…
A New York Federal Reserve measure of underlying inflation rose in December, driven by stronger services (excluding housing) and goods prices. The increase to 2.8% from 2.4% complicates the Federal Reserve's effort to return inflation to its 2% target, amid debates over the impact of large-scale import tariffs and evolving signals from other trimme…
European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde told an audience in Washington that Europe does not need to lead in frontier AI model development to reap economic rewards. Instead, she argued the region can capture significant gains by embedding AI across manufacturing and industrial processes — areas where European firms already show relative st…
The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the legal basis for President Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs that had been justified on national emergency grounds. In response, the administration has set a temporary 15% global tariff as a new baseline. That shift eases the burden on some nations such as China and Brazil compared with prior U.S. tariff rates, whil…
The U.S. Supreme Court on Feb. 23 declined to revive a National Rifle Association lawsuit accusing Maria Vullo, the former superintendent of New York’s Department of Financial Services, of pressuring banks and insurers to cut ties with the gun rights group. The dispute traces back to a 2018 mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, and centers on whether…
The UK government does not expect U.S. President Donald Trump’s newly announced 15% global tariff to affect the majority of trade covered by last year’s UK-U.S. economic agreement, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesman said. British and U.S. officials are set to continue discussions this week after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down previous tari…
The World Bank plans to deliver $6 billion of largely concessional financing to Mozambique over the coming five years, combining about $3 billion on its own balance sheet with a further $3 billion it expects to mobilise. The announcement comes as the IMF warns of worsening public debt dynamics, even as the country benefits from renewed momentum aro…
A joint assessment by the World Bank, United Nations, European Commission and the Ukrainian government estimates Ukraine will need $588 billion to rebuild over the next ten years. The figure, covering damage and reconstruction needs from Feb. 24, 2022 through Dec. 31, 2025, marks a 12% increase from last year, driven in part by a 21% rise in harm t…
Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said he would consider holding interest rates steady at the Fed's March meeting if February's employment report shows continued strength following an unexpectedly robust January jobs print. Waller emphasized that his March policy decision is contingent on the February payrolls reading and reiterated that …
Analysts at Raymond James warn that companies seeking reimbursement for import duties imposed under President Trump's emergency tariffs face a difficult process. The Supreme Court found the use of a 1977 emergency powers law unlawful, while U.S. Customs and Border Protection has stopped collecting the invalidated levies but has not clarified refund…
Bank of England policymaker Alan Taylor said high U.S. import tariffs appear set to remain and that the full economic effects will likely take many years to materialize. He noted recent U.S. actions that imposed a global levy after the Supreme Court voided earlier tariffs, observed signs of Chinese export diversion to other markets with potential d…
Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee member Alan Taylor told a Deutsche Bank event that services inflation has not fallen as quickly as expected, despite a modest slowdown to 4.4% in January. He cited slower wage growth and a weakening labour market, but warned of both an undershoot risk and the danger that absent productivity gains, forecasts…
A Bank of England policymaker warned that higher U.S. import tariffs are likely to remain at materially elevated levels compared with two years ago, and that the full consequences of the policy shift will emerge only over an extended period. Speaking at a Deutsche Bank event, Alan Taylor called the tariffs a meaningful change and said the trade sho…
The European Commission has postponed the unveiling of its Industrial Accelerator Act by one week, moving the presentation to March 4 after disagreements on the geographic reach of proposed local-content requirements. The policy would set minimum thresholds for locally manufactured parts in publicly funded projects across strategic sectors includin…
The Swiss government said it will continue negotiations with the United States to achieve a legally binding deal that would finalize a preliminary late-2025 agreement reducing U.S. tariffs on Switzerland to 15% from 39%. The Economy Ministry emphasized its commitment to the mandate and noted that key stakeholders, including cantons, have not asked …
The European Union has halted work to ratify a trade agreement with the United States pending clarification of new U.S. tariff measures. EU political groups and trade officials said legislative activity will be suspended while diplomats and committee leaders convene to reassess the pact amid uncertainty over the scope and longevity of Washington's …
Germany is awaiting a swift policy reaction from the United States after the U.S. Supreme Court concluded that tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump exceeded his constitutional authority. German officials said they will review whether the ruling applies retroactively to duties already levied and are monitoring developments closely while expecti…
